will cutting a barrel down destroy my accuracy?

whitetailwoodsarcher

whitetailwoodsarcher

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ok guy i got a savage stevens 200 and im looking at cutting the barrel to 18.5 inches to make it more handy around the farm and in the brush and what not. just woundering if i use a power hack saw with it just throw accuracy out the window? also dont have a recrowing tool so can recrown it.
thanks for the help!
 
Without recrowning it properly, it will destroy your accuracy. With a proper recrown int may or may not be okay being shorter. It will be stiffer, which may help accuracy, but it will also change the barrel's harmonics which may be detrimental to accuracy. Maybe someone on here has done it and can give first hand experience.
 
No first hand experience but I would think 19" would leave you more room to work with if you needed to recrown in the future because of damage etc. But yes I wouldn't do this without re crowning the barrel...something you might want to leave to a gunsmith.

Also what caliber is your rifle is in?
 
You could take a crack at crowning it with a round headed brass screw, a drill and some lapping compound. Worst case scenario; it won't cost any more for a gunsmith to clean it up than if you didn't try.

I've had barrels cut and recrowned at a gunsmith for $25. Its up to you to decide if thats too much.
 
Re-crown is about fortyfive bucks when I took one in last year. A crown is something that needs to be precise, and if you believe you can do it as accurately as a gunsmith then there should be no problem. If you cut off more than an inch or two, your POI will most likely change and you will have to re-sight. Barrel harmonics are engineered into the design of the rifle, when you chop off a chunk of mass from either end, your barrel vibrates and twists differently when the bullet exits the muzzle.
 
The accuracy will not change if you cut the barrel.
I would recommend that you try for 19 inches, to give yourself a bit of leaway and to ensure it is legal after cutting and trimming.
It is essential that you file the muzzle square after cutting it off. A recessed crown, which is done with a lathe, or using the ball and grinding compound route, is not essential for accuracy. It just helps to preserve the muzzle end from any dings or scrapes.
Before anyone jumps on me, remember the OP was talking about a stevens, not a precision bench rest rifle. I really doubt that the harmonics are 'engineered' into the barrel length.
Go ahead. Of course you will have to confirm the sighting after the work, but the accuracy is unlikely to change.
 
Cutting a barrel and properly crowning it varies from 'smith' to 'smith'. A simple job on a plain round barrel - probably from $25 on up... depending on how stripped the rifle is when the 'smith' receives it...
 
Rather than going all the way to 18.5, you may want to go in 2" steps. A friend took a 24" .338 WM to 20" and had it crowned by a smith. His accuracy with 250 grain Hornady RN is an inch at 100 yards.
You did not say what calibre you are working with.
 
I have a buddy who is a machinist and is gonna cut my .243 Vanguard down to 18.5" for me. He's done a few Vanguards of his own and accuracy actually improved. My Vanguard is shooting around 1.5" and figure worst thing that will happen is it gets worst and I send to AC Douglas for a custom barrel. I will let you guys know how it shoots next week.

Cheers!!
 
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